What if we truly believed that young children are not just future citizens, but citizens right now?
In Children Are Citizens: The Everyday and the Razzle-Dazzle, Mara Krechevsky, Ben Mardell, Tiziana Filippini, and Maddalena Tedeschi argue exactly that. Children, even as young as three or four, have meaningful insights about their communities — and schools have a responsibility to help them participate in civic life.
This isn’t about mock voting or pretend democracy. It’s about real engagement with real places.
When Children Shape a City: Reggio Emilia
In Reggio Emilia, a city known for its progressive early childhood education, children participated in a six-month project called La Bambina del Profumo (“The Perfume Girl”).
A historic market building was covered in scaffolding during renovation. Rather than ignore it, educators invited children to reflect on the concept of desire — what does it mean to wish for something? Could even the scaffolding have wishes?
Through dialogue, drawing, experimentation, and collaboration, the children developed a powerful metaphor: perfume. To them, perfume symbolized shared desires, well-being, and connection. They imagined perfume traveling through the body and the city, making everything feel better.
Their final artwork — inspired by these ideas — was printed on large canvas and installed on the scaffolding in the city center. The children’s thinking literally became part of the public space.
This approach reflects the philosophy of Loris Malaguzzi, founder of the Reggio Emilia educational philosophy. He believed schools should act as bridges between children and the city — helping children discover their place in a larger community.
When Three-Year-Olds Study Public Transportation
In Washington, DC, educators launched the “Children Are Citizens” initiative to strengthen connections between young children and their city.
One class of three-year-olds decided the Metro system was what made their city special. They:
- Rode the Metro to conduct field research
- Took photos and made sketches
- Created their own Metro maps
- Shared drafts with another school for feedback
- Revised their work based on peer suggestions
Eventually, they wrote and published The Story of Rayo, a tale about a fast and hardworking Metro train. The book was celebrated at the National Gallery of Art, where each child received a copy as an author.
Three-year-olds. Publishing a civic story. Presenting in a major cultural institution.
When children are taken seriously, they rise to the occasion.
What We Can Learn
The authors highlight three powerful lessons:
1. Start with Real Community Connections
Look for meaningful, visible opportunities — a construction site, a local park redesign, public transportation, a community debate. Children’s ideas thrive when connected to authentic contexts.
2. Make Children’s Thinking Visible
Public exhibitions, books, and celebrations matter. They challenge adult assumptions about what children can do. They also communicate to children: Your ideas matter.
This is the “razzle-dazzle” — the public sharing that makes learning shine.
3. Build Democracy in Everyday Classroom Life
The public projects only work because of the daily habits behind them:
- Listening deeply
- Negotiating ideas
- Revising work
- Giving and receiving feedback
- Respecting multiple perspectives
Democracy isn’t about voting on snacks. It’s about building a community where everyone’s voice contributes to something larger.
Why This Matters
When children learn to think together, problem-solve together, and contribute to public life, they are practicing democracy in its truest sense.
They learn that:
- Cities belong to those who care for them.
- Public spaces can reflect shared dreams.
- Their voices have value — now.
Children are not waiting to become citizens.
They already are.
